Apple stressed that its phones used GPS geolocation services for practical purposes, such as helping a user find the closest restaurant, check the weather forecast or calculate travel time to work. ”It’s important to point out that during this collection process, an Apple device does not transmit any data that is uniquely associated with the device or the customer,” the California-based company said.

Users also have several tools available to deactivate their iPhone’s geolocation services. Ma gave the example of a journalist being tracked by the software as a demonstration of her fears over privacy. The dispute is not the first time Apple has been embroiled in controversy in China, where its products are growing in popularity in a marketplace dominated by smartphones running Google’s Android operating system. Apple lost a lawsuit against a Chinese state regulator over patent rights to voice recognition software such as the iPhone’s “Siri” just this week.

In March 2013, it was notably the target of criticism orchestrated by the Chinese media on behalf of consumers, who were critical of poor after-sales service. And in 2012, the US firm paid $60 million to settle a dispute with another Chinese firm over the iPad trademark. The privacy scare also reflects mutual distrust between the US and China after a series of allegations from both sides on cyber-espionage.

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